The present invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for retrofitting a merchandising machine with an energy efficient control for energizing existing fluorescent lights in the merchandising machine.
Merchandising machines include both vending machines which dispense a product in response to a customer inserting funds or a credit in the machine and selecting a product to be dispensed and glass front merchandising machines in which a customer accesses products displayed in a window in a door in the front of the merchandising machine by opening the door and selecting a product from the displayed products. The selected product is then taken to a cashier to pay for the product. In both the vending and glass front merchandising machine, fluorescent lights are utilized to illuminate the product to be dispensed. The fluorescent lights are continually energized as long as the merchandising machine is plugged in.
It is desirable to turn off the fluorescent lights when the merchandising machine is not in use to conserve energy. However, when a prospective purchaser is in proximity to the merchandising machine, it is important for the fluorescent lights to be energized to illuminate products to be vended to entice the potential customer to purchase a product. Some of the merchandising machines include refrigeration systems to chill product to be dispensed. These products must be continually refrigerated even when the fluorescent lights are turned off.
It is known to use human presence detection to deenergize compressors and lights in a vending machine when a sensor does not sense a human in proximity thereto. Such systems, such as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,581 and U.S. Patent Application 20040000154, are available to conserve energy in new machines in which such controls have been incorporated. These new vending machines are designed with such controls in place but such controls are expensive and not readily retrofittable into existing merchandising machines.